Prescription Buttons
by JustlyStorage
Summary: Almost having a panic attack in front of her friends wasn't Coraline's definition of a good day. [not very sad angst][unedited and probably bad][Mystery Kids]


**A/N: Greetings! This is my first story on FF and definitely the first I've wrote in quite sometime!**

 **Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and if you think I should've wrote something differently please tell me and I'll see if I can change it.**

 **Ignore the fact that Cora's not going to therapy, it would've ruined the whole point of keeping it a secret from everyone because therapy always worries me.**

 **Wybie and Norman are 14, everyone else is 13**

Almost having a panic attack in front of her friends wasn't Coraline's definition of a good day.

She had agreed to go with Wybie and the other Mystery Kids with hesitation. She had run out of her medication this morning and had planned to get another dose when the Kids had approached her with an adventure. She knew it was a bad idea but ended up giving in to exciting thrill that always made her heart beat soar and her stomach to flip.

Worst decision of her life.

She had been determined to keep her PTSD a secret from the rest of the Kids. The only two that had knowledge of her disorder was Wybie and Pacifica, but they had agreed to keep it a secret to Coraline's relief. Pacifica had found out when she had spotted Coraline's prescription in her bag while she and Mabel were helping her unpack into her new apartment in Gravity Falls.

Sadly enough, a certain yellow triangular with a tophat decided to pester them during this adventure. No, it wasn't a surprise to the group, but he was still a nuisance and danger to them. And it's not the best thing that he knew about everything, somehow.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Pinetree and Shooting Star!" He shot his greetings to the twins, completely ignored the rest of the Kids, and floated past them and towards the anxious bluenette. "You're looking in a bit jittery, Buttons! What? Did you forget to take something this morning or something?"

Coraline straightened considerably, enough to make the other Kids blink in surprise as if they were expecting her spine to snap. A long frown was set and her eyebrows furrowed. Bill was playing dumb. God, he was playing so dumb. And with the added nickname her heart beat soared.

She took a deep breath. She didn't want to fuel his madness and do something she'll regret. She wanted to stay quiet, she didn't want to play his game. But, alas, if she didn't say something soon, they'll figure out what's happening. She shook her head and glared at him.

"No. I'm perfectly fine." She could _feel_ him grinning. He knew she was lying and it hurt knowing they're going to figure it out and she just wished she would've told them from the beginning that she was ill and then they would be protecting her or she wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place but would be - _should be_ \- at the pharmacist right now.

Only after her inner-turmoil and maybe more than a few images of the Beldam flashed through her head she realised that an uncomfortable silence had settled in over the group as her wavering expression still glaring dull daggers at his invisible smirk.

Unknown to her, Bill just saw and heard _everything._

She entertained the idea of bolting.

Bill heard that too.

She inhaled through her nose and closed her eyes. She pinched the bridge of her nose and spoke in a low grumbled tone.

"If you're just going to stand there, then-"

She cut herself off. A large shadow appeared on the tree behind Bill. A taunting shadow with a wide toothy grin that screamed 'don't be scared' with no meaning and shimmering button eyes. The long shadow towered over Bill, but was certainly coming from him.

At first, Coraline thought that it was an illusion and that only she could see _her_ , but when she spotted Neil flinch from the corner of her she knew they could see it, too. Her hands shook and her stomach did flips that should be making her puke. Not in front of everyone.

' _She's not there she's not there she's not there she's not there she's not there she's not there'_

Dipper took a protective step in front of Coraline, "Back off, Bill." Everyone could tell he didn't exactly know what was going on but, to be honest, not even Bill knew what was wrong with her. The others followed Dippers lead and stood in front of Coraline, all glaring daggers that could slay a dragon if they so wished to.

"Oh, I'm never gonna be done messing with this happy little camper." Bill laughed, "But why spoil all the fun right away?" He appeared in Coraline's face, larger and much more frightening than his little body.

" _SEE YOU IN YOUR DREAMS!"_

The sound of fingers snapping sounded throughout the relatively quiet forest and any trace of Bill being there has now disappeared along with the himself. Wybie walked over to Coraline. From somehow doing basically nothing she looked _tired_. Her dragonfly hairclip failed to do its job and stray hair fell in front of Coraline's face. She looked pale and her left hand gripped her opposite arm tightly.

She looked like she wanted to beat the living shit out of someone but also to curl up in a ball and disappear from existence.

He put an arm on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her but before he could get a word out she shrugged him off.

"Let's just… go home."

" _Are you okay?"_

 _Coraline looked up from her sketchbook. Wybie stood over her with concern written in red pen across his face that couldn't be washed away with simple 'I'm fine's'. His white striped cloak swaying to the side in the spring wind._

" _I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Coraline robotically responded. His frown grew._

" _I have heard you say that too many times in a month to think you're telling the truth." Wybie sat down next to Coraline and rested his back against the large oak tree she'd been using for shade. "Is this about…" He paused and glanced around as if checking for someone listening in, "..._ her _?"_

'Bullseye.'

 _Coraline stiffened but laughed regardless. The action flying right over the brunettes head._

" _No, no! Why would I be nightmare's about that?" She played off cooly, "That's over and done with. She's not coming back." It sounded as if she was trying to convince herself instead of Wybie. The rapid tapping of her mechanical pencil against her sketchbook supporting that thought._

" _Coraline," Wybie spoke softly, "I may not know exactly what happened in there, but from what I saw, I know it was complete and utter_ hell _." He sounded oddly mature. Coraline smiled brightly, turning back to her sketchbook to continue her drawing before speaking again._

" _Nothing's going on. I promise." Wybie hesitated a second before nodding slowly. He relaxed back against the tree with concern still etched onto his. He trusted her, but he didn't believe her._

 _It hurts to lie, anyways._

They wouldn't leave her alone about it.

It had been a few weeks since the incident with Cipher, but they wouldn't drop it when the Kids asked her what he was talking about.

After they had went home, Pacifica had made up an excuse to tell the rest of the Mystery Kids so that she and Coraline could go to the pharmacist. Wybie had volunteered but if we're speaking honestly here, Coraline didn't really want to go with him.

She had bought a calendar so that she could mark down the days she needed to get more medication instead of waiting for the bottle to run out. Everything was going back to normal.

Turns out Bill was being serious.

On top of having nightmares of the Beldam, Coraline was now having the insane triangular mess everything up in her head. What used to be regular 'what if's' and memories were now deformed and morphed enough to have her get killed or tortured. Sometime's she would willingly allow the buttons get sewed into her eyes.

She would always wake up in a cold sweat, no screaming or shooting up in bed like in the movies. She would wake up bug-eyed and shivering despite the warm blanket that Mabel had handknitted for her. When she woke up in her apartment, she would go to the balcony and sit out there until the rest of the morning. Luckily, Wybie and her parents were deep sleepers so they had never been woken by her nightmares.

When she spends her night over at the Mystery Shack, she would tiptoe to the balcony and sit out there until dawn. Sometimes one of the Mystery Kids would find her and ask her what was going on. Of course she would reply with an empty, 'I just wanted to see the sunrise'.

She had a thing for balconies, she guessed.

Tonight, though, was Mabel's first night of visiting her.

"What are you doing up here?"

Coraline stiffened and whipped around to face the now open trapdoor. Climbing through it was a half-asleep Mabel. She looked out of character. She was rubbing at her eyes as if she had just woke up and her hair touching tips with the creaky wood below. Coraline tugged at the collar of her orange pajamas.

"I'm just…" She hesitated when Pacifica sat down next to her, "enjoying the view."

Pacifica looked Coraline up and down before moving closer to her face. Coraline instinctively moved backwards, a small blush creeping it's way to her freckled cheeks.

"You look like you haven't slept in years." Pacifica stated simply. She smirked a little as if it was supposed to be a joke but it struck reality too hard to be called one.

Coraline laughed. It was a dead laugh that hung limply in the air. She didn't answer, feeling as if she'd say something wrong and worry Pacifica and the other Kids.

Pacifica looked at the sun as it just barely peaked over the horizon. "Mabel talks about you a lot."

Coraline flinched. _'I know.'_

"She's worried about you. We all are. We know you take occasional visits up here and positive that your not up here to see the sunrise."

Coralline wants to scoff. Wants to say 'occasional? More like every night'. Instead, she keeps her mouth shut and simply nods. They make eye contact for a split second before Coraline looks back down at the hands in her lap. She didn't like the expression Pacifica was making, there was only one question on someone's mind mind when they wore that face.

"Are…"

' _Don't say it.'_

"Are you okay?"

' _Why.'_

Coraline groaned inwardly. She's always hated that question, she's heard it so many times in her lifetime that it's honestly just annoying now. She plucked a bored face from her list of impersonations and looked out to the sun now hovering close to the mountain tips.

"You're thinking about it too hard."

Pacifica nodded sadly. Sighing, she picked herself up from her spot on the balcony and walked back towards the still open trapdoor.

"If you ever need to talk, we are all open for conversation." Coraline grimaced.

' _I know.'_


End file.
